Pneumatic carpet-cleaner.



Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

`Es if-itrnisrfr EDWIN E. OVERHOLT, 0F WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,ASSIGNOR TO MODERN COMPRESSED AIR CLEANING CO., A CORPORATION OFTHE-DISTRICT 0F COLUMBIA.

PNEUMATIC CARPET-CLEANER.

Speeication of Letters Patent.

Application led September 11, 1905.

Fatented Feb. 28, 1911.

Serial No. 277,992,

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. OvERi-IOLT, citizen of the United` States,residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Carpet-Cleaners, ofwhich thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to pneumatic carpet cleaners of the class in whichhighly compressed air is forced into and through the entire fabric to becleaned.

A broad plate, either heavy in itself or weighted, rests upon the carpetto be cleaned' and is provided with a narrow opening, distant from anymargin of the plate, through which the air under pressure is admitted tothe carpet and through which it also escapes with such dust as it mayremove. The air is delivered through a nozzle that is materially smallerthan said opening in which it lies, and the air escaping from the nozzleordinarily passes through the carpet to the floor, turns abruptly andpassing upward escapes through the opening alongside the smaller nozzle.It is compelled to take this course because to escape otherwise it wouldhave to travel horizontally, in the carpet, from the nozzle to thedistant margin of the plate and any rapid current through such a mass offibers is impossible. The nozzle normally projects below the plane ofthe plate, and preferably it is made vertically yielding and urgeddownward by an adjust able spring which reacts vr"against the body ofthe apparatus, whereby if desired the whole weight of the body of thecleaner may resist upward movement of the nozzle and tend to force itinto the pile of the carpet.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a heavy plate to restupon the carpet, the handle by which the apparatus is moved over thecarpet being also shown, as pivoted to the plate. Fig. 2 is a centralvertical section of the sweeper in a plane transverse to the pivotalaxis of the handle, no hood being shown. Y Fig. 3 is a bottom plan of acertain nozzle. Fig. 4 is a detail view of a certain bail seen also inFig. 2. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the plate seen in Fig. l.`

In these drawings, A representsa plate shown, in this instance, asitself thick enough to give the apparatus the desired weight for holdingit in close contact with the carpet in spite of the reaction due todownward delivery of compressed air. To

most instances, a hood is wanted. The plate is provided with a centralslot C, shown as in the line of the handles pivotal axis. This slot isatall points distant from the plates margin so that air cannot pass fromthe slot to the margin at any point, when the plate rests upon a carpet,without passing for a long distance through the carpet itself. The widthof the slot is varied at will by means of one or more plates D flushwith the plate A and held thereto by screws D working iu slots D2. Inthe slot C, and preferably at a little distance from each of its sides,is a nozzle E having closed ends E adapted to slide vertically in ways Aat the ends of the slot C. This nozzle normally projects below the plateand preferably hasits lower side narrowed so that the nozzle is somewhatwedge-like in cross-section, and at the lower side it is perforated toallow air to escape downward, the outlet being shown as a single slot E3extending nearly from end to end of the nozzle. Air is admitted to thenozzle near its middle through a preferably flexible pipe F, which maybe of rubber, and. which may pass inward in the body of the plate and besecured to a short pipe or nipple F upon the nozzle. The flexible pipelits closely in the out-er part of its channel in the plate, but theinner portion of that channel is enlarged at F? so that the pipe mayswing when the nozzle moves. Midway between the ends of the plate A arigid bail G spans the slot C and is detachahly fixed to the plate. Astud I-I rises from the middle of the nozzle tube and passes through anoblong aperture G in the bail, permitting the stud to swing whenever theends of the nozzle tube rise or fall unequally, but preventing theswinging of the stud in a plane transverse tothe nozzle. The stud isprovided with a collar H or the like and upon this rests the middleportion of a spring I whose ends rest against the bail or the lendsnozizle can occur only when the plate A is raised bodily.

No hood for collecting the dust is shown nor any conduit for conveyingthe dust away since such devices constitute no part of the inventionherein claimed.

The plate A as shown is unade .thick enough so that its weight preventsthe lifting of the apparatus by the reaction due to discharge of theair, and under all circumstances it presses the plate with some firmnessupon the surface of the carpet lupon which it may rest.

The independent movement of the two ends of the nozzle is importantbecause the surface of a carpet is often by no means plane, and so,also, is the adj ustabillty of the slot in which the nozzle lies sincethis regulates the velocity of the escaping air, which shouldpractically all pass up through this slot, whatever the pressure andconsequent volume of air delivered in a given time. The readilyaccessible wing -bolts permitting adjustment of the pressure withoutinterfering With any movements of the nozzle constitute a very usefulfeature. All these features are of practical moment, but the central andmost important feature is providing a nozzle that normally projectsbelow the body of the apparatus or of the member resting upon thecarpet.

What I claim is r- 1. The combination with a plate provided with anoblong central opening and adapted to rest upon a carpet to be cleaned,of a tubular nozzle centrally located in said opening and projectingbelow the plate and nozzle-supporting devices permitting the ends of thenozzle to rise unequally.

2. The combination with a plate providedwith an oblong central openingand adapted to rest upon a carpet to be cleaned, of a nozzle projectingdownward through said opening ways guiding the ends, respectively, ofsaid nozzle as it rises and falls, and

nozzle-supporting devices allowing the ends of the nozzleto riseunequally.

3. The combination with a plate having an opening surrounded by a broadworking face, of a nozzle narrower than said opening, lying therein andprojectingbelow the plate and working in ways at the ends of theopening, a bail extending transversely over said opening and providedwith an elongated aperture parallel to the nozzle, and a stud risingfrom the nozzle into said aperture; whereby the nozzle is held againstrotary motion while allowed to rise and fall unequally at its ends.

4. The combination with a plate having a suitable aperture and adaptedto rest upon a carpet to be cleaned, of a nozzlenarrower than theaperture but lying therein, and means-for at will varying the width ofthe aperture.

5. In a pneumatic carpet cleaner, the combination with a base plateadapted to rest upon a carpet to be cleaned and provided with a centralslot, of a nozzle narrower than the slot and located therein, and aplate secured to said base plate alongside the slot therein and arrangedfor adjustment toward and away from the slot, to vary the width of thelatter.

6. The combination with the plate having the central slot opening, ofthe bail spanning said slot, the nozzlelying in the slot and providedwith the shouldered stud projecting upward into an aperture in saidbail, a spring resting centrally upon the shoulder of the stud, and wingbolts working in the bail and adjustably pressing the ends'of the vspring, respectively.

7. In a pneumatic carpet cleaner, the combination with a. plate having acentral aperture and adapted to rest upon a carpet to vbe cleaned, ofapproximately vertical, nozzle guiding ways located at the ends,respectively, of said aperture, a bar-like nozzle mounted to rise andfall in said ways and provided with a discharge opening in its lowerside, and means to prevent the rotary movement of the nozzle upon itsown axis; whereby the direction of discharge through the nozzle isconstant.

8. The combination with a plate having an elongated central openingprovided with vert-ical ways at its ends, and adapted to rest upon acarpet to be cleaned, of a bar-like nozzle lying insaid' opening andarranged to rise and fall at either end or both ends, means to preventrotation of the nozzle, and means for yieldingly resisting all upwardmovement of the nozzle.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' EDWIN E. OVERHOLT.

Witnesses:

WALLACE GREENE, PAUL D. Coon.

